


Timelines

by braindelete



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Feels, Language, M/M, Violence, dick grayson's ass - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 04:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/658074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braindelete/pseuds/braindelete
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would have happened if Dick had never left the circus? <br/>Prompt from Bruce/Dick Fest on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timelines

Ten years ago today, an eight-year-old boy sat on the sandy ground of the center ring, blood-drenched and tear-stained beside the broken bodies of his dead parents. He’d wanted to scoop the boy up and take him away, ease the pain as he remembered the black and white of his memories. Graphic images of his own parents murder danced at the forefront of his mind splattered with red. He saw himself in that boy’s pudgy face.

The circus was a culture, and above that a family. The loss of his parents had not sent the boy away. He was taken in, and when the circus left, so did he. For him, Gotham wouldn’t be just another venue on their travels. It would always be the place where he lost his parents. Bruce knew that it would make his heart somber every time they came.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” The ringmaster stood in the center ring, voice booming over the microphone. “Haly’s Circus proudly presents to you, the crown jewel of our show. The death-defying, acrobatic feats of The Last Flying Grayson! A solo trapeze show performed without a net!”

The spotlight hit the top of the platform, where a young man stood lean and strong in his red, green, and gold leotard. One arm up posed in the air, the other gripping tightly the trapeze bar. A beaming grin caught the light. He dropped his arm as the house lights came down, leaving only the spot on the boy as he swung out from the platform over the same center ring that had once been a crime scene.

The clean line of the boy’s body as he soared through the air; the swift, elegant movement of letting go, tucking into a flip and catching the next bar as if it was the most simple task in the world. The young Grayson was a showman, flipping again from the bar, catching the next with his legs and hanging there, dusting his knuckles on the front of his leotard as if this was simply child’s play. He climbed up the bar, letting go and dropping with one, two, three and four flips before he caught the bar and rode it to the next platform. He landed, letting the bar sail off into the open air under the big top, both arms up in the air. The crowd cheered. Bruce found himself enthralled in Dick’s motions. The last Flying Grayson.

*****  
“Dick, you have someone who wants to see you…” Raya popped her head into Dick’s vardo before even knocking on the door. “You should come out like that.”

He’d been changing out of his leotard when she’d let herself in, standing now in the breeze of the Gotham evening in nothing but leggings. From her general behavior he could tell someone important wanted to see him. Probably Gotham’s pseudo-elite who pretended to be glamorous and progressive while the city wasted away to crime. He wouldn’t see one of those people. He had a rule; he didn’t talk to patrons. He claimed it ruined the illusion to see the man in person. He looked tall and fantastical on the bar, but in person he was just flesh and bone.

The truth was, he didn’t have the time. Tonight was the night he’d been planning for the last ten years, every free moment of his life leading up to this. He couldn’t waste a second on these people.

“Not tonight, Raya. You know the rules. Besides, I have somewhere to be.”

Raya watched him as he finished changing, letting the reality of their location sink in. They were in Gotham. She decided against arguing the point. She couldn’t force him into this. Not here.

“Are you going to see them?” She asked.

His parents.

“Yes.” He lied.

She moved her small arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. She looked at the two of them reflected in the mirror. Dick’s back was a little straighter, his breathing more rigid at her touch. She gave him a soft smile, watching the change in her face in the glass before them.

“They’d be proud of you, Dick.” She kissed his cheek.

Dick hung his head, not noticing as she left the small trailer. The door clicked shut and his face settled into a hard gaze as he returned his attention to the mirror’s visage.

“Yeah. Right.”

Outside he caught a snippet of the conversation she was having. Blowing someone off for him. The girl tried really hard. He almost felt bad for her, pining away with an unrequited love. There was no space in his life for her. Not now. Not until he was finished.

“Sorry, Mister Wayne,” her voice muffled by the trailer walls. “Dick doesn’t really talk to anyone after shows. It’s nothing personal..”

********

An air horn sounded through the night sky, ripping through the calm like a knife, tearing it into two halves and leaving behind the sweeping sound of lapping waves against the docks like blood from the wound. The fog hung heavy in the air, particularly so, leaving a trace amount of visibility. Gotham pier was wrapped in a blanket and this was a definite advantage. Almost entirely deserted at this late hour, save one building with the lights on. A seedy bar frequented by the low-life clientèle of the area, criminals and crooks the likes of which squeezed through the legal loopholes of technicality to prowl the streets another day.

Not enough evidence for a conviction.

Tony Zucco didn’t often feel like he was being followed. He’d worked himself into a nice position in Gotham’s crime syndicate and most people who preferred to keep living knew to leave the man alone. From flunky boss to certified Don, he was quite pleased with his rise through the ranks of the mafia. But tonight he kept checking over his shoulder. A feeling in the shadows, an absence of presence when he turned around. He was uneasy.

As he entered the bar and the place flanked at attention as if a major general had walked in on the rank and file, a figure emerged from the shadows. With a swift bounce from one rooftop, off the edge of a crane and an aerial somersault, he landed with two feet firmly planted on the roof of the bar. He moved swiftly, hunched over and toward the roof access door. That would lead him to the bar.

Batman hadn’t expected to see another night stalker out after the Zuccos’. Or whoever he was after. He’d been watching Zucco for ten years, looking for the right moment. The crime with enough evidence to link him to extortion, murders and the number of atrocities he’d committed in Gotham. All because of a boy who’d sat in a big top center ring covered in his own parents blood.

Whoever this masked figure was might screw that up. So he moved quickly toward the door, standing in front of it before the figure could open it.

“Can I help you?”

The figure moved back. He was clad head to toe in black, much like a ninja foot soldier. Over his eyes he wore a mask. This new visitor was good. He knew to cover his tracks and keep himself nothing but a nameless, faceless figure in that blended into the night. Batman was mildly impressed. But only mildly.

He said nothing, just backed up toward the edge of the roof, flipping off the back and disappearing into the cloud of fog below. Before he tipped however, he sent a salute to the Bat. There was something cocky and self assured about the way he went over that edge. An attitude that could only come from a mastery in a craft. There was something oddly familiar about it.

“Hnn.”

Batman peered over the edge, hoping to see the figure run off into the night. Whoever it was, they were already gone. This was certainly inconvenient.

******

Dick turned out the light in the bathroom as he padded across the vardo floor to his bedroom. He turned the light out in the room, before crawling into the bed. He settled in, ready to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, but something moved in the shadows. Instantly Dick was up, prepared, eyes scanning the room and reaching for the nearest thing he could use as a weapon.

“Calm down, I don’t plan to hurt you.” Came a deep voice.

He found the light and turned it on. Before him stood Batman. The Gotham legend. The Dark Knight himself. Dick shook his head, crossing his arms over his bare chest. He was unimpressed.

“Want to explain to me why you’re breaking into my vardo in the middle of the night?”

Batman was silent for a beat.

“Whatever you’re planning against Tony Zucco, you need to stop now. Stay with the circus, and move on.” Batman’s voice was deep and commanding.

Dick raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t thought about Tony Zucco in ten years. He can rot for all I care.”

Batman said nothing. He watched Dick move about the small room. In truth, he couldn’t blame the boy for wanting to hunt down the man who’d killed his parents, sealed his fate as a solo act. The same act had caused him to become the Batman, and here he was with a kid who could have used his help. A boy he could have saved from pain. When he looked into the young man’s eyes, he saw that scared eight year old kid. And he saw himself blood-stained, tearful. He shook the feeling away when Dick turned his back.

“So, you have nothing to worry about here. I’m sure you’ve got a street to prowl…”

Dick turned around, he was alone in the room.

*******

Italian restaurants were such a cliché for this kind of work. Mob Boss enters the family owned eatery that may or may not be a cover business. Either way, the workers of the establishment from owner to busboys knew the boss when he came in with his people. They made everything perfect in hopes that the Don wouldn’t decide to have them whacked.

All restaurants like this looked the same. Red and white checkered table cloths with red vinyl booth seats, candles in with glass covers at the center of the table and a little cup with breadsticks sitting beside it. There were flowers, pictures of Popes and family, violin music and he could smell the garlic from the rooftop.

Dick half expected to see two dogs in the back sharing a plate of spaghetti and meatballs as a fat Italian chef sang Bella Note.

“And here you are. I thought I told you to leave this alone.”

Dick, in his ninja gear turned his attention behind him. He smirked behind the mask over his lips. He shook his head.

“We have to stop meeting like this, Bats.”

Batman replied by coming closer. Dick backed toward the edge of the roof.

 

*****

 

Bruce Wayne arrived at the circus camp around noon on a Saturday. It was a surprisingly sunny day for Gotham, and unusually warm for this time of year. He was constantly impressed by the circus that still travelled in vardos across the country. They truly were a family, and it almost eased his feelings on having left that small boy there.

Almost.

Again he was spotted by the perky redhead who had a name, but he couldn’t remember it. She waved to him, before she came over to him with a grin. He wasn’t interested in her small talk. Though he was standing in this sunny area as Bruce Wayne, he was here with the mental frame of the bat. He needed to finalize once and for all if Grayson was the one going after the Zuccos’. This time the woman didn’t escort him to the vardo, which meant he had plenty of space between Dick and the rest of the performers without the need to keep things quiet.

“You’re here again. I’m going to start believing those tabloid rumors about you being a homosexual.” Dick smirked as he pulled the door open. “Do you have a crush on me, Mister Wayne?”

Bruce forced a smile. “I just didn’t want the chance to meet you pass me up.”

Dick raised a brow, then sighed, caving on his one rule and letting the man inside. He wandered back toward the couch, flopping down unceremoniously. The set look in his eyes took Bruce aback. He wasn’t prepared for a young man like Dick. Poised, prepared like an agile cat ready to pounce on prey at the very right moment. Bruce was the prey. Bruce did not like being the prey.

“You didn’t say yes or no, about those rumors, Bruce.” Dick smiled.

Bruce wasn’t intimidated by the boy. He was no one’s prey. He moved toward the couch where the boy sat, bending down and looking the boy in his big clear blue eyes. Dick looked him up and down, before grabbing the older man’s tie. He wrapped it around his hand, leaning in to kiss Bruce.

The reply was pushing Dick back on the couch. He stared him down, just to see if the boy would squirm. He leaned in, pinning Dick down before pressing their lips together.

 

*****

 

The worst part about this crusade was the rain. Tonight, it was straight down pour. Some of the older drainage systems were backing up, causing mild flooding around them. Puddles larger than normal sloshed as they were dispersed by wheels on passing cars, and quickly rejuvenated by the rain. The streets were nearly empty, save a few unlucky stragglers who got caught without an umbrella as the skies opened up and unleashed their havoc. Rain in Gotham always remind Bruce of tears. Were he a religious man he may think it was Angels weeping for the soul of this damned city.

But he wasn’t a religious man. So it was just inconvenient rain.

Despite the haze, Batman was able to see figure bounding from the rooftops. He grumbled to himself. The kid just couldn’t listen to well meant advice. He’d tried everything to get Grayson to stop his crusade, and yet… here he was again. The time for reasoning was over. He regretted that his words and warnings to the younger man had not been enough, though he knew that once the desire for vengeance was planted, it was something you couldn’t shake.

He lept of the roof, making haste to follow Dick into the alley. He continued to pursue at a distance. What exactly Dick Grayson’s plan was, he wasn’t sure. But he knew he was going to have to save him from himself. This boy had it in his mind that killing Tony Zucco would be his only source of solace. But he had seen in Dick’s eyes, in that vardo, that he wasn’t a killer. He’d likely decide at the last minute that he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t be able to make that move and that hesitation would get him killed.

Inside the hideout, he could hear the shouting already.

Dick had made good work of the thugs guarding Zucco, and though Bruce was not interested in seeing this vigilante work… he had to admit he was impressed. He had Zucco pinned down, one of his Escrima weapons in the air.

“Stop.”

Dick turned around as Bruce approached him. He responded with a guttural growl. He didn’t need Batman here. He didn’t want Batman here.

“Let me finish it! Please let me finish it! I’ve been needing this for ten years!” Dick spat. “He killed my parents! You don’t know what that’s like!”

Pearls. Bruce took only a moment to remember the pearls as they slid along the cobblestone streets, white droplets in red puddles. He shook his head. He couldn’t think about his parents right now. He had to stop Dick from doing something he’d regret forever. He could never come back from taking a life, and this boy deserved better than that.

“Tony Zucco has a daughter. About your age. Do you really want to take her father? Do you really want her to suffer the way that you have for the last ten years?” His voice was stern, approaching Dick and grabbing hold of his arm. “You aren’t this person. You know that. You know this will destroy who you are. Don’t let him win.”

Dick looked at Batman, then at Zucco. He took a deep, shaking breath. His arm shook in Batman’s grip, but he dropped it slowly before removing his body from atop Zucco. He turned shaking his head as he pulled back, away from the man on the ground and from Batman. He shook, wrapping his arms around himself.

“Get out of here! Get out of here, before I change my mind.” He spat at Zucco.

The mafia boss stood, looking between Batman and the younger boy. He moved to the door pulling out his gun just for good measure. He needed the insurance that he would get out of here without another attack. Batman had stepped away from the boy, maybe he was calling for backup. Zucco didn’t know. He turned the gun toward Dick and opened fire.

“Dick!” Batman ran toward the boy, letting the boss run out the door.

Dick hit the ground with a sick thud. He coughed, rolling to his side with a whimper and a hiss. Batman pulled the cowl back, revealing his face, but why he did it he would never be completely certain. Maybe it was to make sure the boy felt safe as he trembled, holding his gunshot wound. Maybe he needed it to be known, that he hadn’t abandoned Grayson.

“You’re going to be okay… I promise. Just relax.”

 

*****

Dick came out of the bedroom, trying to remember the moment he’d fallen asleep last night. Groggy, he ran his hand through his hair and stood in the long hallway, dropping his hand in exasperation. He whimpered, realizing he had no idea where the stairs were. Or really where he was planning to go in this massive house. He’d really seen the cave and had some vague memory of a staircase and then the ceiling of the bedroom.

“I see that you’re up and around, young master. I’ll inform Master Bruce.” An elderly man commented, as he saw Dick lost in the halls.

He nodded to the old man. He remembered his face from the cave. Dick had been brought in a miserable, shot up, bundle of emotion after the Batman stopped his plan. This man had patched him up and helped him to bed.

“Master Bruce… uh. Where is he?” He took a breath. “Can I have some… something to eat? I’m starving.”

“Master Bruce is where he always is. Come with me. We’ll get you something to eat.”

 

*****

Dick sat in the kitchen munching on some cereal while he waited for a meal to be finished cooking. His left shoulder was bandaged and stitched from where he’d been shot. He’d have to come up with a good excuse for why he’d need time off for it to heal. Alfred said he’d been lucky, a few inches lower and it’d have hit his heart. He didn’t know what was cooking, but he definitely liked the smell. He wasn’t sure why Bruce had brought him here. Why he hadn’t just returned him to Haly’s. He’d find out answers, eat and then go home after thanking him for his hospitality. Tomorrow he would leave town with the circus and never look back at Gotham.

Bruce cleared his throat from behind where Dick was sitting. It didn’t make him jump anymore. He was getting used to it. This man was Batman. He snuck up on everyone. And Dick had that skill too, from his personal training.

“Your skills are good, Dick. But they could be better.” He started. “I could continue your training. You could work with me.”

“Work with you? Like work with Batman?” He paused. “I can’t. We leave tomorrow. The circus, I mean.”

Bruce nodded, taking a seat beside the boy. He knew that would be the boy’s choice. Leaving with his family, the people that cared for him. He hated the idea of this kid going off and continuing to hold this memory of his parents’ death. But wasn’t that his driving fuel? Maybe he didn’t want to see Dick become him. He could change that.

“Promise me no more plots to murder?”

Dick nodded.

A pause between them would have been the perfect time for Bruce to request he stay. To join his battle. To open up a little. But he wouldn’t. It wasn’t in his nature. Dick deserved a life of his own, the one the boy had mapped out. Bruce missed his chance when the eight year old boy climbed into a trailer with Mister Haly and pulled out of Gotham.

“Just remember what we talked about. You are a better man than one who seeks revenge. Justice doesn’t mean an eye for an eye. I promise you that Tony Zucco will end up in prison for his crimes. Not just against your family, but against Gotham.”

Dick inhaled sharply. Bruce’s promise was comforting in it’s own way. He knew he shouldn’t want to stay, but there was a pull there. A desire to be there when Zucco went down. He knew that meant he’d have to leave his home. The circus. His family legacy.

Maybe he could start a new legacy.

Bruce got up from the table, his hand brushing along the back of Dick’s as he pulled away toward the doorway. He couldn’t deny his attraction to the boy. After their kiss the night before last, a sense of longing that Dick would stay and take his offer and clouded his usually clear head. He’d take the disappointment out on a thug tonight.

“Take care of yourself, Dick.”

 

*****

It was three hours before Bruce would leave for patrol. Alfred came downstairs with dinner, behind him the young aerialist gaped about as he made his way down the stairs. Over his shoulder was a sack. He’d seen a glimpse of the cave before, but he hadn’t really looked around. He stepped off the last stair.

“You literally have a cave….” Dick said.

Bruce turned, looking over his shoulder at the boy and the butler. He raised a brow, not having expected to see Dick again, or at least, not until Haly’s came back to town. Dick waved half-heartedly and gave a sheepish smile.

“What are you doing here?”

Dick smirked. “Offer still stand to work with you? If yes, I need a place to crash. So… I’m inviting myself in. Since you have, like, a giant house, and I can’t use the trapeze for awhile anyway…”

There was a pause, but Bruce managed to afford the boy a nod.

“Suit up. We’re leaving in three hours.”

“That’s it? That’s all… no glad you’re on board, Dick or… hell, I’d settle for one of those kisses from the other night…” He winked.

Bruce approached him, his movements menacing and just slightly intimidating. Dick was sure he’d said the wrong thing and was about to get shoved out the door of the manor after Bruce dragged him up the stairs. As the bigger man lifted his arm. He grabbed the boy by the hair on the back of his head, pulling him in and kissing him hard, the force of which pushed Dick up against the computer console.

Dick eased into the kiss once he found his footing again, a small chirping sound of glee from the back of his throat. And for a moment they held it there, tongues jockeying for position between teeth and lips.

“Suit up.” Bruce ordered, pulling back and slapping Dick’s ass.

Dick yelped. “I need a name. How about Robin, my mom called me Robin.”

“Hnn. It makes you sound like a child.”

Dick paused. “Nightwing.”

 

*****

(6 months later)

Dick spun around in the chair near the Bat computer, his mind wandering to what the city might have in store for them tonight. Maybe Two-Face would have something dual-sided and stupid for them to thwart. Maybe Mister Freeze would try to bring an endless winter. Whatever happened, Dick was sure he was ready for it.

Because what was more of an adrenaline rush than nightly work with The Batman?

The engine of the Batmobile roared through the cave with an echo that carried through and startled the bats roosting just above it. They flew down and out into the dark recesses of the cave with loud screeches. Dick could swear they sounded annoyed as he watched the hood slide over and Batman climb out.

But he wasn’t alone.

Following him was small boy with tousled red hair and big blue eyes. He looked pissed off and that made Dick smirk. Six months ago, he’d had that same look on his face as Bruce stood between him and his revenge. The boy’s clothes were dirty, muddy, his hands greasy with dirt under the nails. His shoes had holes in them, his hoodie was three sizes too big. He had a black eye that had faded to the sickly greenish yellow of healing, so Dick knew it wasn’t fresh.

“Nightwing, this is Jason. He tried to steal the hubcaps on the Batmobile tonight.” Batman said, simple, direct and gruff.

“Bad idea, kid. Now we’re going to have to cut your hands off to make an example of you.” Dick quipped.

Jason lunged at him. “Shut your mouth, or I’ll shut it for you!”

“Feisty. I like it.” Dick took a small step back, placing his hand on the boy’s forehead as he struggled to throw punches.

“Enough.” Bruce’s voice was commanding.

Jason stopped. He stepped back looking down at his shoes but not before he threw a glare at Dick. Dick smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn’t sure exactly why the boy was here… but then again, he wasn’t exactly sure most days why he had agreed to stay. If he was meant to know, Bruce would tell him. If he wasn’t, then he’d never find out.

“Alfred will meet you at the top of the stairs. He will feed you, then show you to your room. You can clean yourself up and I will see you in the morning.”

The boy looked at Bruce as he dealt commands like a hand of poker. No hesitation. No need for questioning. He gave Bruce a nod before going to the stairs and sulking up them, a scolded child. The truth was that Jason knew he had a chance here to not fight for things. For whatever reason, Batman was giving him a place to live and a chance at life. He would try his best not to screw it up.

Once Jason was out of sight, Dick turned his attention to Bruce.

“So… what is this now? Bruce Wayne’s home for wayward boys? I hope you’re not already trading me in for a younger model.” Dick grinned.

“Don’t be crude.” Bruce put his hand on Dick’s shoulder. “I saw you in that boy. Behind his bravado and his tough act, he was just scared. He’s alone. Maybe he’s a chance to correct the mistake I made when I left you with the circus.”

Dick gave him a soft smile, before wrapping his arms around the taller man’s neck and picking himself up by his tip toes to look at him in the face.

“Hey, I’m here now. And you’re stuck with me.” He poked Bruce’s nose with the tip of his finger. “Does this make me mom?”

Behind his cowl, Bruce rolled his eyes before managing the smallest smirk. He kissed Dick quickly before pulling away and moving toward the waiting Batmobile.

“Let’s go.”

“Right behind you.”

 

Fin.


End file.
